Many people on this site have serious questions and I would like to answer them as honestly as I can. I have been coaching for many years and Im currently coaching at the 97 level. I will not reveal my actual team but will answer questions the best I can.

Yes I am serious. This site is intended to pass along information and help people make decision which are best for their kids. Too many tims people have serious questions and get nothing but BS answers. Again, I will be honest and try to answer genuine questions people may have.

Coach..and I believe you are my kids coach...why is he on the third line and never gets to go on the power play.

Signed

Im Ready to let the air out of your tires.

11:39 - without knowing you or your kid your question is impossible to answer. Again, serious questions only will be answered.

If you want serious discussion and a site where coaches actual say who they are go the OMHA forum.

Coach

Why is it the most coaches have no idea how to train a goalie?

My son is AA does he need to play AAA to be draft to play junior how does it work????

Fakes and Dekes. Have you found that you can get kids to work on this at the MA level, or do you think it just comes with skill development?

I am trying to get them thinking about this, but it does seem that it is hard to teach.

12:05 - coaching goalies requires a vast knowledge of the position and unless you have played the position or studied it from a coaching perspective you will not be able to adequitly train your goalies. My team groups together with 2 other teams in the org and we pay to have a goalie coach come to practice twice a month a work with the Goalies. I have an assistant coach on my team who observes these sessions and has a list of drills and exercises to work on when the paid coach is not there. Seems to work well for our team.

12:08 - your kid should play where there are having fun and developing. If they are good enough, they will be found. Regardless of the number of A's.

12:12 - Fakes and Dekes do come with skill development and your right are not always easy to teach. With my little guy I started out by playing a little game when we would wait on the bus each day. I would walk away from him and he would walk behind me. Whichever way I turned my head to look back he had to try and pass me on the other side. As he got better at this i could turn my head from shoulder to shoulder and he would find quick moves and fakes to get past me. It was alot of fun but taught him alot about the basics of fakes and dekes. After that We worked on one basic fake inside go outside on the ice. He mastered this one and built on it from there. You just cant try and teach to much or it will become overwhelming and they wont retain any of it. Alot of instinct involved so these little games help to mold that instinct.

Coach

Our teams pays for external Goaltending coach.

It is fustrating to watch a 2 hour practice geared towards the players. The goalies do not learn a lot from having 100 shots pounding at them. There needs to be more games related (situation) drills that the goalie sees in a game. Instead of a 100 break aways.

Wakeup coaches.

Dear Coach

May I ask your credentials for offering advice to the misinformed. What level certificate do you have? What level are you coaching? How many years have you been doing this? Have you remained with one organzition or bounced around like a ping pong ball?

Signed

Ex Cop

12:39 - You are correct

12:40 - These answers are just my opinion and trying to give people another point of view. Some people may not agree with some answers as many questions dont always have one right answer. I am a certified level 4 coach who currently coaches at the 97 level. I have coached for 9 years, all at the same org. which is AA.

Dear Coach

There is no Level 4. Now if you couldn't answer that question credibly I am wondering who you really are.

Ex Cop

sorry. I'm level 1

ex cop

why do you care?

I really dont. Its just that he is pretending to be a coach on here, offering advice and quite frankly most likely a fraud.

Ex Fraud Squad Cop

Level 4 USA Hockey.

who cares!

Nobody is paying for it....

ex cop

you can always email him...

coachn54@hotmail.com <coachn54@hotmail.com>

They hold the level 5 clinic typically every two years which I will attend someday. Just have not got around to it. Level 4 is required in the US to coach at the Midget level wheras the level 5 is not.

Spin...spin...spin

Ex-cop Go look for real criminal no wonder the street are full of them cops waiste there time here.

What do you do with agressive teams where the defence pinch low to cut off the wingers outlet pass?

We are talking about a MA team that does not have strong puckhandling skills.

I know what I do, but would like to hear another opinion.

Pinching down low is necessary. The trick is for your defence to know when to pinch and when to back off. It is also important for the defenceman to be physical. In an NBC game like many tournaments, if the defenceman is going fishing for the puck down low he is more likely going to get burned. Pinch if you are sure you are going to be there first, but if you miss it is likely an odd man rush the other way. I watch one of the top spring teams self destruct last spring because the defencemen were over pinching. If the player is pinching, he either has a shot on net or not. He can carry it deep if someone comes back to cover, but most MA teams are not ready for that so it maybe best just to get the puck low for a forward to pick it up. Many times you will see poor game time decisions made by the defence, but it is usually due to a lax defence coach who is not coaching the game, but trying to enforce a system.

Why are you an ex cop, were you fired?? Why are you on here?

I think this guy is good, offering up opinions Im not paying for it.

And yes Level 4 did exist but now is transferred to Development 1 in the OMHA standard.

Coach, I have a question for you. I recently receive solid proof that a parent on my team has been on this website bad mouthing me, my team and other parents. His kid is bottom 3 as well. Should I just go ahead and cut him now or just bench him for the rest of the season??

Signed

Stressed out

Coaches do not use Toilet Paper

why would you punish the kid because of his jackass father
that would make you a bigger jackass

I think coach has a day job.

11:22 - are you referring to when your team is breaking out of your own zone and they just have their D pinch up on your winger on the boards to disrupt your breakout? If this is the case I have the Wingers play higer then they would almost locking up with the other teams point man keeping the point man to the boards or the outside. This will free up some room down low for your D to swing from behind the net with their head up and look for the breakout up the middle or If the D still pinch's down, A hard chip of the boards with the weak side winger cutting across to pick up the puck of the boards. Usually when the team gets beat with a break up the winger their coach adjusts and wont play so agressive risking getting burned.

11:59 - I had a parent on my team this year in a similiar situation. Not on this site but disruptive from the stands, hotels, lobbies and anywhere else someone could hear him. I approached him and let him know I was considering giving his kid a release and I would pay any remaining bill he had for the rest of the year if Dad's behaviour did not improve. The mother cried and siad it wasnt fair to her kid and I explained it wasnt fair to myself or the team to have to put up her husband. I explained what was exceptable and what was not and made it clear that if going forward they could abide by these terms, we wouldnt have any problems. I also assured them the very next incident would result in a release, no question's asked. They have been on good behaviour ever since and hopefully will continue. You should confront this person, explain the situation, explain what is acceptable and what is not, and decide if that is a manner if they can move forward. If not, part ways. I may not be fair to one kid but it is also not fair to the rest of the team and their families to have to deal with this.

2:06 and 2:17 are both my posts. Didnt show my name, my mistake.

Coach.

Is it totally up to the coach as to what position a kid plays?

I guess I wouldn't comment if the team has been successful this year, but, our record is quite dismal.

I'm of the belief that you build your team from the back to the front (ie. from the Goalie out).

So far, we have 2 Goalies, one quite strong, one quite weak. With the strong goalie, we're usually in the game, with the weak one, it's usually a blowout, with the goalie eventually being pulled, in tears. I think the weak goalie is in a bit over his head.

Defense. I don't know why, but, our coach has decided to "hide" the 4 weakest skaters on defense. Results are self-explanatory.

Forwards. I'm of the belief that the center has to be one of the strongest skating player on the team. I'm also of the belief that the center is the 3rd defenseman. I can't understand why the coach will pick a center who just hangs out by the blueline (with no opposing players around him), when the opponent has the puck in our zone, and is the slowest player coming back from the opposing end.

I can go on, but, I think you get the point.

So far, I've bitten my tongue and haven't said a word, but, my tongue is getting too swollen from biting it too much! Any thoughts?

Signed,
Fat Tongue

Yes, definately find yourself a new team with a new coach.

I guess it's time to get more ice-cubes for the Fat Tongue...

huh?

Fat Tongue - To answer your first question, Yes it is ultimately the coaches decision which players play where. Based on your observations you seem to have a better understanding of the game then your coach. I agree your D is not the place to hide your weak skaters. If you are you should put your strongest D with your weakest D and match them with the O line which has the strongest center. I would not try to hide all 4 "weak skaters" on D. And yes you are 100% correct about your Center. They should be the last forward to leave the D zone and head up ice. A center's job is to be the puck support. In the D zone they should always be on the puck, inbetween the puck and your own net. My centers are excellent skaters and have great hustle. Two qualities which are a must. As far as having two goalies of different talents. I have the same situation on my team but the difference is not as extreme. One is clearly better then the other but I rotate them as evenly as possible. I do reserve the right to play my better goalie against the tougher teams in games which have real meaning (ie. state qualifying games) and the parents are ok with this. They understand I dont want to put their kid in a situation which he may not be ready for. This wouldnt be fair to him or the team but in every other situation we role them pretty equal. Good luck the rest of the season, be patient, dont worry about wins or loses, just focus on if your kid is developing and having fun. Going into next season sounds like you have a decision to make.

I am coaching a team and my kid is the best player on the team - Where should I play him?

4:17 - there is no one right answer. Depends where your team needs him. Where is he plaing now? How is that working out? Who he plays with could be as important as where he plays. Just remember, teaching your kid to play multiple positions will ultimately further their development and lead to a well rounded hockey player.

Dear Coach

I shoved my sons stick up his coaches butt after he yelled at him. Will this hinder his career in hockey.

Signed

Its still stuck.

4:24

No matter where I play him he still scores more than half our goals. I generally put him on D to avoid having the other parents complain that I am favouring him. I think he should be playing centre.

4:17 - well, I think that's one of the problems. My son had a great coach last year. Kept things simple, but, the kids learned. Their foundation was solid. It's almost like a step back this year. He's forgetting all the foundational stuff that he learned last year and picking up bad habits. I asked my son whether he wanted to play again for this team next year and he said that, although he knows that they're going to lose a lot of games next year, that he's met a lot of good friends and that the team as a whole is getting better and that hopefully the team can pick up some new players next year... It's going to be a tough decision.

4:30 too funny

3:28 our coach last year did the same thing. Made his son center, but the kid was so lazy he just hung around the blue line waiting for a pass instead of doing his job. Would the coach move him to wing and put a real center there, no way. To top it off he made his kid captain. What a clown.

This year was the first time I named a Captain on my team. Many thought my son would be the best fit but I was opposed to it. I named my top D man as captain feeling that being a defensemen is a rewardless/thankless job, especially at this age. The forwards get all the glory scoring goals, the goalies get game pucks for shutouts and the D, they get noticed most when they make a bad play or fall down and the puck ends up in our net. I named my Dman as Captain, gave another D an A, and 1 of the forwards an A as well. None of whom are my son. The reality is he may very well have gotten it on another team but the perception it might leave with others is not worth it. He was upset and I explained to him a true leader acts/plays like a leader at all times with or without a letter. He was still disapointed but I think he understood my point.

and your point is?

Let me see....I think coach's point is...You don't need a letter on your jersey to be a leader. Remember the cowardly lion from Wizard of OZ receiving the medal of courage? Think it was really necessary?

9:01 - that's a tough call. I understand what you're trying to do, but, a young kid will have a tough time understanding. If your son is one of the undisputed leaders on the team, then, he should get a letter. No one will complain. Some kids will also wonder why the clear leader of the team doesn't have a letter. You don't want your kid being resentful of you being the coach.

I sometimes find that coaches are also extra hard on the kid. Almost too extreme to show that the coach is not showing any favoritism. I currently coach my younger son's team, but, as he gets older and perhaps move up in skill level, I will back away from the bench.

Coach, what does it mean too play a 2:1:2?

nothing

Can you explain in detail the trappings and goings on that determine a successful flying v breakout ?

Y'know boys, I'm considered quite a smartass and I think the Whitby vs Oshawa thread or the LMAO thread on this site is hilarious. Also love to see guys get skewered on this site who think they are developing the next Crosby. I'm also a coach - AAA level - for yrs and I have a lot of respect for what The Coach on this thread is trying to do. Personally, and I know you'll take the piss out of me for saying it, I think he should be commended - nice job Coach!

Hey coach. Grab me a beer will ya.

fridge is open

My kid is 97. Very good skater, has always been forward.
Backwards skating is not an issue.
Plays AAA
They have suggested that for the up coming season they play him on D
Reason may be short D and like his skating ability.
My kid does not mind so I do not either.
He actually looks forward to the change.
How would you introduce that change.

Let me summarize this..........We've got ourselves a genuine Dr. Phil, a stressed out lunatic, "Fat Tongue", and a hockey stick stuck up a coach's butt. Am I missing anything else?
People, you've got an heck of a thread going here!!

5:44.

Find a trainer you like and take one or two of their defense oriented classes at the end of the summer.

Hey coach,

When do you notify your goalies who will be starting.

Is it game day, or practise before?

My son is a goalie and likes to be told as early as posible, not on game day. As a parent I like to know early also, there is nothing worst than having family and friends who what to come and watch my son play and me not knowning if he is play or not. Every coach we have ever played for has waited to game day to tell us who is statring.

Whats your thoughts?

Goalie Dad.........

What age and what are the split ratios agreed to by the coach and parents

"AA" 95............agreed split was 40..40..20

where are you coach?????????????

I never tell the kids who is starting until game time. I let them both warmup first then I tell the kid just before the faceoff at centre ice.

This allows me to change my mind at the last minute if I see something unusual in that last half-hour before the game. Sometimes a kid can be listless, sick or put in a bad mood before a game.